“We are delighted to have been awarded this opportunity by the Dutch government. Winning this offshore site marks RWE’s entry into the Dutch offshore wind market, one of our key strategic growth markets in Europe. Hollandse Kust West VII will seriously contribute to the energy transition by producing green electricity for almost one million Dutch homes. With our innovative concept we developed a blueprint for a new generation of offshore wind farms, which can be perfectly integrated into the energy system.”
RWE wins Dutch support-free offshore wind tender: The company has received the permit to build a large-scale offshore wind farm – Hollandse Kust West (HKW) VII. The site is located in the North Sea, about 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast. On the site RWE will be able to deliver more than 760 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity – enough to supply the equivalent of almost one million Dutch homes. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) recognised that RWE’s design for HKW VII delivers solutions for the optimal integration of offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Offshore Wind, RWE Renewables: “We are pleased to have been awarded this offshore wind project by the Dutch government. This represents an important step on the road towards growing our global offshore wind capacity to 8 gigawatts by 2030. Based on our 20 years of experience in developing, constructing and operating offshore wind farms, we have delivered a unique concept for the project. We are looking forward to realising this wind farm hand in hand with the local communities.”
Blueprint for the Dutch energy system of the future
RWE’s ultimate goal is to perfectly match the demand for energy to the flexible generation profile of offshore wind farms, contributing to grid stability. To unlock full system integration the concept for HKW VII combines offshore wind with electrolyser capacity for green hydrogen production, and other flexible demand solutions like e-boilers and battery storage. In addition RWE plans to combine the HKW VII offshore wind farm with floating solar panels to allow a more efficient use of ocean space.
The wind farm is expected to be in full operation no later than 5 years after the permit is irrevocable. Then it can contribute to the Dutch ambitious build-out targets for offshore wind: 21 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2030 and 70 GW by 2050 are envisaged.
RWE also submitted a bid for HKW VI with an innovative ecological concept to deliver positive impact on biodiversity. The outcome of this tender is expected by the end of this year.